High Demand for Igloo’s Yukon Cold Locker Spurs Increase in Domestic Manufacture
OutdoorHub 04.18.12
Following the successful 2011 launch of Igloo’s Yukon Cold Locker, demand for the high performance Yukon has outstripped Igloo’s current manufacturing capacity. To meet that growing demand, Igloo is increasing capacity at its Katy, Texas facility. The plant produced 19 million hard-sided coolers in 2011 and, within a year will have sufficient capacity to produce enough Yukon Cold Lockers to exceed forecasted growth and provide for significant growth in the category. The Katy manufacturing space expansion, including several additional rotomolding lines and 20 new factory associates, will be up and running by year’s end.
According to Igloo Chairman and CEO, Gary Kiedaisch, the Yukon Cold Locker by Igloo has achieved significant momentum in the marketplace right out of the gate and is receiving positive response from an influential community of hunters and fishermen. “Igloo is currently #1 in US cooler market share, with four-year growth approaching 50%. Clearly this new, high-end product will further fuel the company’s momentum. We’re completing the tooling and design phase of our plant expansion and should be up and running later this year,” he said.
Lisa Silva, Igloo’s product manager for hard-sided products, says this new product is an important link to the dedicated outdoors market. “Our professional hunting and fishing advisor and TV personality, Keith Warren, tells us that his fellow professionals agree that Yukon is not only an elite performer, it raises the bar for the entire high performance cooler category,” she said. “It’s encouraging that the Igloo brand is enjoying a resonant response from this high visibility group of outdoor aficionados.”
According to Silva, Yukon is a highly engineered and designed product with the attributes of a category leader. “Yukon outhauls, has more important features that matter and lives up to its billing better than any cooler Igloo has ever offered,” she said. “It has wide, theft-resistant handles and an oversized, tethered drain plug. The Yukon is built with tamper-resistant latches and stainless steel fixtures to ensure durability – features not found on the competition. Its thick insulation on the top, bottom and sides promises seven to 14-day ice retention, and it’s dry ice compatible.”
“Cold retention is further enhanced by such unique features as a 360 degree lid gasket, locking in the cold. That’s continuous cold performance that lasts throughout an entire trip,” she said. “We’ve also added Igloo’s Cool Riser Technology that lifts the cooler off the ground, further improving its ability to retain cold temperatures. Simply put, the Yukon Cold Locker will outhaul, outlast and out-chill any other product in the category,” she said. “And very soon, with this significant plant expansion, we’ll be making more of them right here in Texas by Texans for distribution throughout the world.”
For further information about any Igloo product or the answers to any company questions, contact David Thornhill at dthornhill@igloocorp.com.
